Mumbai, Feb 26 (IANS) The Congress will hold statewide agitation on farmers’ issues on March 3, which is the first day of the Budget session of Maharashtra Legislature.
State Congress Chief Harshwardhan Sapkal said, “The plight of farmers in Maharashtra under the BJP-led government has become increasingly dire, with no guarantee of fair prices for agricultural produce. Despite promises of farm loan waivers during elections, the BJP-Shiv Sena-NCP government has yet to fulfill its commitment. The Congress will hold a statewide agitation on March 3.”
Additionally, the party will hold protests on March 4 to highlight the administrative failures as urban development projects and essential public services have stalled.
Sapkal accused the BJP government of being “anti-farmer” and “pro-corporate”.
He said that farmers are being forced to sell soybean at Rs 4,000 per quintal, significantly below the minimum support price (MSP), and that crops such as onion, gram, and cotton have also been affected by low prices.
He also criticised the Central government’s decision to import tur dal from Australia, arguing that this move would harm domestic farmers by reducing market prices for their produce.
Sapkal said that Maharashtra has not held local body elections for the past three years, leading to a governance vacuum in municipal corporations and local councils.
He alleged that the BJP is deliberately delaying elections to retain control over the administration.
“As a result, local representatives such as corporators have no decision-making authority and municipal administration has come under the influence of Ministers and MLAs, leading to rampant mismanagement. To protest against this, Congress will stage a protest in municipal areas on March 4 to draw the government’s attention to public grievances,” he added.
Sapkal said that while the Chief Minister granted a clean chit to 106 individuals for appointments as Ministers’ PAs and PSs, 16 individuals were denied appointments on the grounds of being “fixers”.
He demanded that the Chief Minister publicly disclose the names of these 16 fixers, as well as the names of the Ministers they worked under.
He asserted that merely targeting officials would not suffice — action must also be taken against the fixer Ministers.
Sapkal also said that public services have come to a standstill, and administrative inaction has left people frustrated.
This desperation even led a young man to attempt suicide at the Mantralaya.
He criticised the administration’s apathy, alleging that revenue department officials are engaging in illegal parties at private resorts while governance remains in disarray.
“Officials are reckless, and Ministers are indifferent,” he remarked.
–IANS
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